A Federal Way man pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court in Seattle for his role in a scheme that funneled millions of dollars in stolen goods through a Burien storefront and online sales platforms, federal prosecutors announced.
Vitaliy F. Bobak, 53, admitted to conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller.
Prosecutors said Bobak co-owned MBA Trading LLC, which operated a Burien store under the name “We Buy Gold, Silver, and Electronics.”
Investigators said that Bobak and co-defendant Andrey A. Balun, 58, knowingly purchased stolen items from area retailers and resold them through Amazon and eBay accounts called “Medikus” and “abcstore555.”
The operation generated more than $4.5 million between 2021 and June 2023.
According to court records, Bobak bought over-the-counter medications, health products and electronics that still carried anti-theft devices or retailer-only stickers. He admitted using tools to remove security tags before the products were resold. Items included Braun shavers, Keurig coffee makers, Sonicare devices and Rogaine products.
The online sales reached a massive scale, with more than 150,000 transactions completed nationwide and overseas between January 2022 and November 2023. When federal search warrants were served in December 2023, authorities seized more than 74,000 stolen items worth about $2.4 million.
Bobak personally obtained at least $1 million in proceeds and agreed to forfeit that amount. He is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 3, 2025, and faces up to five years in prison.
Balun, of Bellevue and Las Vegas, is scheduled for trial Feb. 23, 2026. Prosecutors emphasized that the charges against him remain allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
OThe investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Renton and Seattle police departments, the IRS and investigators from multiple retailers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Waite and Asset Forfeiture Assistant U.S. Attorney Krista Bush are prosecuting the case.
